Pennant races, Red Sox and the incomparable Rudolph W. Giuliani

The cold vise of a baseball pennant race tightens, and here's what it does to people. Not long after watching a 11-0, then 12-1 lead shrink to 12-11, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel went up to his St. Louis hotel room and began drinking bourbon. As Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, "You're not supposed to lose a game like that," Manuel said.

Boston fans have a way of dealing with adversity that's endearing to those of us who enjoy, like every human being, a dose of schaudenfraud every now and then. They don't kick and scream so much as cogitate and deride, the latter a defense mechanism honed over years of suffering, sharpened to the hilt like a long-used, well-formed lament. The result is an impressive collection of voices that emanate almost as one out of the great northeast, cacophanous and keen.

The occasional potboiler finds its way into the heap, but usually the thoughts are honest, straight from the gut and entertaining as hell.

Examples:

The Soxaholix:

Doug:
I'm so friggin angry right now that if I was in a bah fight I'd probably inadvertently cut off my own nutsack from the sheeah blindness of my rage.

Mike:
Hey, at least you've still got nuts to sack … aftah watching the estrogen fest that is the Septembah 07 Red Sox, my testes have shrunk up and withdrawn into my abdomen like a pair of wannabe ovaries.

Sawx Blog:

Our lead in the AL East is now 2.5 games, which is the closest anyone in the division has been since April 25th. APRIL!!! If we lose the division I'll be absolutely rip sh!t. At that point making the playoffs is a mute point. Our momentum is nill, and there's only 10 games left on the schedule, which is probably a good thing. We can't tie the MFY in the regular season because they won the season series by taking 5 of the last 6 against us (good job guys!). Things are looking bleak and if we lose tonight I will officially take my hand out of my pocket and SLAM down the panic button. Ladies and gentleman, your 2007 Boston Dead Sox.

There's a funny sing-song and political cartoon over at Boston Dirt Dogs. There's a picture of a dead blue jay over at Joy of Sox (very joyous). There's some strange, might-as-well-give-it-a-try optimism from the folks at Over the Monster. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin, who I nearly had the pleasure of working under at our school paper, urges people away from ledges.

And all because of this:

May 29:

1. Boston, 36-15
...
4. New York, 21-29, 14.5 GB

Sept. 20:

1. Boston, 90-63
2. New York, 88-64, 1.5 GB

You have to love it. Have to. The "MFY" are coming, boys. 1978! 1978! 1978! 1978!

POSTSCRIPT: But cheer up, Red Sox fans. At least your region shows no outward support for this man:

Tony Gutierrez, AP

Oh wait... this was your guy. Never mind, New York wins again.